Page 67 of Survive the Night
Theo, Hugh, Jules, and all the kids raised their hands.
“Here are the keys to the store,” Grady, planted on one of the cots, tossed the key ring to Otto. “It’s no police armory, but you’re welcome to everything in the hunting department. I’m not going out there until those bomb-dropping helicopters are gone. You lot are nuts.”
“No minors.” Theo’s voice was firm. Although the younger kids looked disappointed, they didn’t argue.
Sam did, however. “I w-want to help.”
“I need you here, Sam,” Jules said, glancing at Dee, Ty, and Tio. “If we leave the twins unsupervised, they’ll destroy this town faster than any bombs could.”
Sam, his mouth set mulishly, met his sister’s eyes for a long, tense moment before giving a single jerk of his chin in a grudging nod.
Theo’s frown deepened. “Jules, you’re staying here with them, too.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
Gordon snorted. “Good luck, then.”
“What do you mean?” Theo demanded, his eyes narrowing on Gordon.
“If three cops showed up and tried getting me to leave my home, I’d tell ’em to”—he glanced at the kids—“suck eggs.”
“Good thing you’re already here, then,” Hugh said.
“Lots of people still in town think more like me than don’t.” Gordon gestured toward the three cops. “You think the three of you are going to convince Justin Ling to come with you? Or Barry and Wanda Post?” He gave a short laugh. “Like I said, good luck.”
“They won’t need it, because I’m not staying here, and do you know what else I’m not doing?” Jules’s Southern accent was thick, a sure sign that she was annoyed. “I’m not arguing with you about it.” She stepped to Otto’s side and crossed her arms, giving Theo a just-try-it glare.
“Let’s go,” Otto said gruffly, heading for the door. Gordon was right. They needed Jules. There were plenty of people in Monroe—especially those who stayed all winter—who didn’t trust any government figures, including police. Between the three of them, they could protect Jules. Otto was pretty sure Theo knew that, too, but he was too in love to think clearly when it came to Jules’s safety.
“Wait.” Lieutenant Blessard stopped him. “Take these radios and keep them on in case communications come back up.” He handed Theo, Hugh, and Jules each a handheld radio. “Otto, switch yours with me. These are fully charged.” Pulling his radio from the holder on his duty belt, Otto handed it over and took the one Blessard offered as the lieutenant continued. “I’ll establish base here. Cleo, once the weather clears, you can head to your house.”
“I’ll go with her,” Steve volunteered.
Blessard gave him a tight nod and then turned back to Otto and the others. “Be careful out there.”
“Safety first. That’s our motto,” Hugh said in a joking tone that didn’t hide the seriousness underlying his words. They grabbed their coats and gear, and Hugh and Theo leashed Lexi and Viggy.
“Ready?” Otto asked gruffly.
The other four looked at him with serious expressions. “Ready.”
“Let’s go.” He opened the door, wishing he were at home with Sarah instead, snuggled in bed with the dogs and cat piled around them, or at least with her in Dresden so he could keep her safe. The townspeople needed their help, though. Besides, any action was better than hanging out in the bunker doing nothing.
It wasn’t until they were out of the fake outhouse with the wind whipping around them that Otto realized they didn’t have any way to get around except for walking. Grady’s store would only be a mile or so, but the deepening snow would make it feel like more. They trudged down the driveway to the gate.
“Should’ve gotten the key from Gordon,” Otto said, raising his voice so it could be heard over the wind. Getting the two dogs over the fence was going to be a challenge. He turned to retrace his steps back to the bunker, but Hugh stopped him.
“I’ve got this.” He already had his lockpick kit out. In less than a minute, the padlock was open and Hugh was unwinding the chain holding the gates shut. Once they were all out, he left the padlock unfastened, arranging it so that, at first glance, it appeared to be locked.
The wind had blown much of the snow into a huge drift on the south side of the road, so there was a channel on the north side that was just a few inches deep. They fell into a ragged line. Everyone was tense, even the dogs. Otto couldn’t stop looking around, especially at the sky, expecting another bomb to fall—on them, this time—at any second.
They didn’t speak, moving quietly in mutual unspoken agreement. There was no way to know who could be around the next corner or hiding behind the nearby house. They were half a block from Grady’s store when Viggy started to growl.
They all slipped between the print shop and the abandoned building next to it. When Viggy continued to growl low in his throat, Otto looked at the dog. Viggy was staring across the street into the darkness of the empty lot where the diner had stood. As Otto watched, keeping back in the shadows where he’d hopefully be hidden, three figures dressed in winter camouflage and carrying rifles prowled into the street.
“…anyone. They’re hiding somewhere. The entire town can’t be empty.”
